Coast Guard response report  New England

A Coast Guard rescue boat from Station Woods Hole, Mass., safely escorted a 15-foot pleasure boat into Great Harbor in Woods Hole. A good Samaritan boater called the Coast Guard reporting that a boat with five people aboard had run aground near Pine Island. Station Woods Hole launched a 22-foot rescue boat which found the boat aground in shallow water. By transferring three of the five boat passengers to the good Samaritan, the grounded boat could be refloated. Upon being refloated, the Coast Guard escorted the boat into Woods Hole. No injuries were reported. (May 21)

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Good Samaritan saves boater

Station New Haven, Conn.

A good Samaritan rescued a boater whose 16-foot sailboat capsized near Bridgeport. The 22-year-old man attempted to swim to shore after he was unable to right his sailboat when it capsized. Another man was on his own boat nearby when he noticed the overturned sailboat. The boater made a distress call by marine band radio to the Coast Guard after briefly looking for the operator of the overturned sailboat in the surrounding water. The man then turned down his radio in an attempt to listen for the victim. He soon heard a voice and spotted the victim within seconds. He safely brought the young man aboard his boat where he collapsed from exhaustion. The rescuer wrapped him in a blanket and began to administer first aid. A rescue crew from Station New Haven was immediately diverted when the distress call was made and arrived on scene within five minutes, just after the young man was pulled from the water. The crew transferred him to their rescue boat and continued administering first aid. He was rushed to the Bridgeport ferry pier where emergency medical personnel were waiting and taken to Saint Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport in stable condition. The young man was wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident. (May 20)

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Missing boater

Station New York, N.Y.

The Coast Guard and New York Police Department were searching for a missing boater in Jamaica Bay after witnesses on shore reported seeing him enter the water there. An NYPD harbor unit arrived first and found the victim’s unattended 22-foot Mako pleasure boat anchored 400 feet offshore. The victim’s identity was confirmed when his wife reported him overdue from a fishing trip. Air and boat crews from the Coast Guard and NYPD were still searching the area. Crews from Station New York and Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., were immediately dispatched after receiving the report through city-wide from a 911 emergency call. The incident was under investigation. (May 18)

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Marijuana on boat

Station Alexandria Bay, N.Y.

On the U.S. side of Cornwall Island, Station Alexandria Bay seized a boat with 83 pounds of hydroponic marijuana on board. Apparently the boat had spotted the Coast Guard then fled to Cornwall Island on the Canadian side. The suspect crew attempted to evade the Coast Guard by running the boat ashore and fleeing on foot. The boat drifted free into U.S. waters. The Coast Guard intercepted the unmanned boat and turned the contraband over to the Border Patrol. The marijuana will ultimately be turned over to the Drug Enforcement Agency. The incident was still under investigation. (May 11)

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Vessel runs aground

Air Station Atlantic City, N.J.

Two men were rescued after their sailboat ran aground in Little Egg Inlet, N.J. Two men, ages 36 and 43, were attempting to sail from Massachusetts to Florida when they ran hard aground in their 27-foot sailboat. The Coast Guard received the call from the two stranded sailors. Sea Tow and the New Jersey State Police were on scene a short time later but were unable to reach the two due to low tides. The Coast Guard was able to deploy a rescue helicopter after a lightning storm had passed and it was safe to launch. The two men were hoisted into the helicopter and taken back to Air Station Atlantic City unharmed. Sea Tow planned to salvage the vessel at high tide. (May 12)

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Diver rescued

Air Station Atlantic City, N.J.

An injured diver was rescued 10 miles off the coast of Toms River by the Coast Guard. The 45-year-old man was hoisted off a 38-foot charter boat by a Coast Guard rescue helicopter from Air Station Atlantic City. The ship’s captain called the Coast Guard after the man surfaced from a dive and went into convulsions. A 23-foot boat and a 47-foot boat were also deployed to the scene from Coast Guard Station Manasquan. The stricken man was flown to Jacobi Medical Center in New York where he was treated for decompression sickness. (May 22)